The Shandor Clan
“''We see as we live, we do as we find, and we thrive as we commune. Such is the eternal, such is the always changing. Such is the Shandor''.” --An ancient Shandor saying. The Shandor clan have wandered the plains of Arboreta for longer than anyone has recorded history, and, as the eldest of the clan will wholeheartedly assure you, since the beginning of time itself. A historical record is ill suited for such a people anyhow, as life at the beginning of time is the same as life today for these people. Sustaining themselves on the plentiful natural vegetation of hilly Arboreta has meant that these gypsies have lived in peace and comfort for thousands of years, and the day to day life of a Shandorian is filled with craftsmanship, artisanry, song, and dance. That is not to say that they have no organization within their clan; there are three distinct stages to one's life, which every man and woman is expected to go through before their death. First, is to be a child. The children of Shandor are all called Pali or Pesha, roughly translating to “small one,” and some people are called this well into their twenties and thirties, not that anyone keeps track of age in the clan. There honestly is no way to keep track of age, as no one bothers keeping or maintaining something like a calendar. This stage of life is progressed through when a Pali shows an affinity for a certain action or habit that the elder notice, and then, a special ceremony is held, where all the elders of the clan sit down with the Pali, and give them a name, appropriate and related to the thing which has become associated with the person. Examples of names given to members of the clan may include “Beautiful Clay Sculpter,” “Trickster of the Ice,” or “Patient and Wise Teacher.” A name is a special thing within this clan: as it stands, you don't even receive one until you distinguish yourself in some way. As such, when someone receives a full name, they often abbreviate it, only revealing their true names to the ones closest to them. The shorter names for the names listed before might be “Beay,” “Traisee,” and “Pascher.” They carry this name to people they are not familiar with, and to strangers as well. The final stage of one's life, when they begin to be too old to do the things their namesake came from, involves the elder one losing their name, and simply becoming a Svata or Svatura, meaning “storyteller” depending on gender. They are the unofficial leaders of the clan, and every night, the gypsies gather around a fire, present the things they made that day, and then listen to a story told by one of the storytellers. True or not, everyone listens, and the common knowledge of these stories in between fellow members is known as the defining bond of the Shandor. Each and every member of the clan knows the stories, and they use it as common parts of their lexicon and as fables that define their morality and tradition. The close knit nature of the community means that outsiders joining the clan are nearly unheard of, but that is not to say that this clan is isolationist. Outsider traders, known as Taligae, occasionally find the camps and trade with them, offering new items and exotic foods in trade for specialty goods of the Shandor like clothes and trinkets. There is one rule, though. In order to be friendly with the clan, each person who comes in must offer a story to the gypsies, so that they may expand their knowledge as well as get a sort of cultural fingerprint of the outsider. Only having heard the story and judging them based upon it will the clan allow them to trade, treating them as an honored guest from the time they arrive to the time they leave.